Tuesday, February 28, 2006

I was skimming my email archives a few days ago and ran across an email from my postdoc advisor at UTHSC in San Antonio. He passed away last year after a long battle with cancer. It was bizarre reading this email knowing that he was no longer here. Today, I found a paper published that referenced my first work from that lab. At the end, they thanked my previous advisor for his advice with the work. This must have been some of the last work that he was involved in. He and I butted heads a lot and weren't really all that close, but I think we did have a mutual respect for each other. After reading that paper today, I wished I could have picked up the phone and talked to him again...

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Monday, February 20, 2006

I made it to the end of my iPod. A couple of weeks ago, I hit the "shuffle" function and started through my entire song library. Yesterday, for the first time, I made it to the end. Now, I didn't listen to every song along the way - sometimes you're just not in the mood for Ronnie James Dio. However, I did feel a sense of accomplishment whenever song #733 finished - Bruce Springsteen, "Better Days," and the iPod stopped and went back to the main menu.

Yeah, I'm a freak.

You know, this place would be more exciting if you people would be a little more interactive...

Saturday, February 18, 2006

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. - Rogers Hornsby

Forget the groundhog. We all know spring really arrives on the day that pitchers and catchers report to spring training. That time has arrived and a young man's fancy turns not to love, but to whom will make the opening day roster of their favorite major league team. The one cliche that is true? Hope springs eternal. Yes, even Cubs fans think their team will make the World Series, even though they haven't since 1945. Soon, weekend afternoons will be spent in front of the radio listening to the first spring training games, not because they're so important, but because it's been 4+ months since the last time you heard the modern day equivalent of Tinker to Evers to Chance. But for now, the skies are still gray, the ground is still frozen, the grass is still sleeping, and the boys of summer are off in sunny Florida or Arizona fighting for the chance to step out on the diamond on opening day and live out the dreams of little boys all over the country.

So, for the next several weeks, we'll sit and watch. Will the rebuilt Red Sox staff be enough to win the pennant? Will a new star be born in Kevin Youkilis? Will Coco Crisp make Red Sox Nation forget about that rat bastard Johnny Damon? And of course, we have May 1 circled on the calendar, when the Evil Empire makes the first trip of the season to Fenway Park and we'll remember all over again just why we love baseball.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The architect of the war in Iraq is out pretending to shoot birds but shooting old men instead. Is it any wonder the army gave this guy 5 deferments from Vietnam? He'd have shot more of our guys than the enemy. Meanwhile, old Dick gets on Faux News and tells rectangleheaded Brit Hume that it was one of "the worst days of his life." Well Mr. Vice-President, you can go to hell. I'm sure your day wasn't nearly as bad as the worst day of 2273 families of US soldiers who have died in your phony little war.

but they're back on their own turf nowlike they knew they would be some dayback on the old corralwhere the deer and the antelope playand i guess this time they're coming back to stay

2000 funerals2000 rockets take to the sky2000 funeralsthere's another one gone in the blink of an eye

but he's back where he oughta bewhere there's love and familyback on the old corralback in the land of the freejust in time to push up the Christmas tree

2000 funerals2000 tears somebody will cry2000 funeralsthere's another one gone in the blink of an eyebut they're back on their own turf nowwhere the sparkling rivers runback on the old corralwhere a mother waits for her sonto become two thousand and one (x2)

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

I am so sick and tired of the incompetent jerks that are running the show now that 2008 can't get here fast enough for me. I know it's still 2+ years away, but I'm quickly deciding to whom I'll be giving my support.

Yesterday on the Senate Floor, Feingold took King George to task for breaking the law by spying on US citizens without a warrant.

"This goes way beyond party, and way beyond politics. What the President has done here is to break faith with the American people. In the State of the Union, he also said that “we must always be clear in our principles” to get support from friends and allies that we need to fight terrorism. So let’s be clear about a basic American principle: When someone breaks the law, when someone misleads the public in an attempt to justify his actions, he needs to be held accountable. The President of the United States has broken the law. The President of the United States is trying to mislead the American people. And he needs to be held accountable.[snip]As the President said, we must always be clear in our principles. So let us be clear: We cherish the great and noble principle of freedom, we will fight to keep it, and we will hold this President – and anyone who violates those freedoms – accountable for their actions. In a nation built on freedom, the President is not a king, and no one is above the law."

Feingold/Edwards seems to be an ideal ticket. Midwestern Senator strong on foreign and domestic policy paired with a former Southern Senator who is strong on social issues seems like a hard combination to beat - once all the rednecks get past the idea of a single Jewish man leading the country.

So, starting today, I'm going to do all I can to make sure these patriots are sitting in the Oval Office in Jan. 2009.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Thursday, February 02, 2006

But February made me shiverWith every paper I’d deliver.Bad news on the doorstep;I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I criedWhen I read about his widowed bride,But something touched me deep insideThe day the music died.

Buddy Holly is the most famous person to come from my hometown of Lubbock, TX. I've been a fan and admirer of Buddy's since I was in jr. high school. As a teen, I couldn't believe that there wasn't a street in our town named after our most famous son. I wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper trying to make the case for changing a street name. It finally happened, but not until I had moved away. There is a larger than life statue downtown near where Buddy was born and it is surrounded by the West Texas Walk of Fame that honors local entertainers who have made it big. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with one of the guys who knew and played with Buddy, and became a pretty good songwriter in his own right, Sonny Curtis. I've also had the pleasure of meeting the original Crickets, Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin after a concert in Lubbock. One weekend back when I was in grad school, my cousin and a friend made the drive over to Clovis, New Mexico to see Norman Petty Studios where Buddy recorded his first hit records. It was quite amazing standing in the studio where those great rock and roll songs were recorded and seeing the equipment that was used by Buddy. Mrs. Petty was our tour guide and while we were in the studio, she played for us an unreleased tape of Buddy doing Heartbeat. Now, unless you've been on the tour, you haven't heard this tape. It was a bit intimidating standing there in that studio and hearing Buddy's voice on the tape as they talk a little before they break into the song. What a thrill that was.

I love Buddy Holly because he made some great rock and roll records - and with a little practice, you can actually play them on the guitar. But there's more to it than that. As a kid, I knew that Buddy was known all over the world. If you mentioned Lubbock, Texas to a stranger from anywhere else in the world, they were most likely to reply, "Buddy Holly!" For me, Buddy was the epitome of the local boy makes good. And I just knew that if he could do something that people would remember, then I could, too. I don't play rock and roll, but perhaps someday I'll create a drug that will save people's lives.

Whenever I lived back home, I used to make the trip to the local cemetery and leave a guitar pick on the grave of our hometown hero every February 3rd. He was one of us - a West Texas boy - who changed the world. The music died on February 3, 1959, but the dreams of lots of Lubbock boys live on because of Buddy Holly.

About Me

Research Scientist at Monsanto with a passion in sustainable agriculture and helping small stakeholder farmers in the developing world. All opinions expressed or implied are my own and do not represent the position of Monsanto.

Over 20 years bench experience studying protein structure, folding, and
design. Early work was on determinants of protein secondary structure
from a computational approach. The bulk of my lab work has focused on
the structure and function of bacterial protein toxins, mainly on the
endotoxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis and their insecticidal
activities. Related to that work I have an interest in the biophysics of
membranes and how they interact with proteins.

During my research time at the bench, I have become a recognized leader
in building science-based platforms as well as a leading developer of
people. I successfully built a protein design group and then wholly
integrated a broad protein science platform of 35+ people. I then moved
outside of my area of technical expertise and built a cell biology
platform of 35+ people working in all areas of plant cell biology, RNA
biology, and genome modification biology. My current task is integrating
a platform of 40+ scientists in the areas of cell biology and
analytical chemistry.

Outside of direct technical scientific work, I am deeply passionate
about the role of agriculture in helping to eliminate extreme poverty
and in building a sustainable world for small stakeholder farmers in
Africa. Providing the broad set of modern agricultural tools to poor
farmers will provide them with the means to not only feed their
families, but to also participate in the broader economy to raise
themselves out of poverty. Where you live should not determine whether
you live and I am pleased to work with the ONE Campaign to help bring
about this change for Sub-Saharan Africa.